Tea, an Orange and Exercise

Today my Nanny died.   She had an amazing life, did so much good for so many people and was really ready to pass and leave all the physical ailments behind, but still, it is upsetting.

Tonight, after putting the baby down to bed I asked my husband if he wanted some chips.  I’ve already had more than enough food today, but my grief was causing me to want to eat (and pretend it wasn’t me doing it by offering to get some for the hubby).  Luckily he said he was full (a feeling I rarely feel).  I ate an orange, drank a glass of water and made some tea.  I was still feeling funky so I went on the rower for 20mins and then did a bunch of stretching.  Soon, I’ll head to bed.

Why am I sharing this with you?  Well, I know that today my portion sizes were too big (not 50%).  And, I know a lot of that was self-comforting.  But despite having a hard day personally and a funky day food-wise, I did not end up ending the day, splurging.  YAY!

Thursday Outside Thoughts: April 11, 2012: Putting Life on Hold Until the Weight is Lost…

I met a friend for lunch on Saturday and we started to talk about our long histories of dieting and body image issues.  It was interesting to see how ashamed we both are that we have lived so much of our lives under the weight (haha) of feeling less-than because we weren’t super slim.  We agreed to talk more openly together about our various issues because by the end of the conversation, although it was horrifying to realize how much mental space has been occupied by thoughts of weight loss, we both felt some relief about getting our “crazy” out into the open.

Today I texted this friend and suggested we write out lists of all the things we would have done or feel like we could have been if we hadn’t felt we couldn’t even try because we were overweight.  Again, super embarrassing to admit to this negative thinking, but super healthy to get all that negative, internalized thinking, OUT!

I found this blog post that articulates how I felt for most of my life (I did lose 100 lbs previously but only maintained the weight loss for nine months because I became pregnant and started gaining again.)  The article is very inspiring!  Check it out! http://www.leftoverstogo.com/2012/03/08/americans-have-a-wait-problem/

Thursday Thoughts: April 4, 2012: Arsenic in Rice

When I lost over a hundred pounds two years ago I followed a very strict diet in which I weighed and measured all of my food and had a basic formula for lunch and dinner: 6oz cooked veggies, 4oz protein, 1 cup RICE.

I consumed a lot of rice!  Most of the time it was brown rice.

In our local newspaper there is an article that not just the organic brown rice syrup contains too much arsenic (I had read about that before), but so does the regular brown rice.

As I have been creating My Program here on the blog and in my daily life, brown rice has been central again.  In the article in our local newspaper, it said to only eat brown rice a few times a month….  UH OH!

I can’t find that particular article online but I did find the following articles you may be interested in reading:

Arsenic in Organic Brown Rice Syrup and Rice. How to Eat Rice Safely | Green Talk®.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/23/147294466/in-rice-how-much-arsenic-is-too-much

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/wenonah-hauter/organic-good-arsenic-contamination-still-threat

Well, what am I going to do?  Here’s the thing: I HATE experimental cooking.  One of the reason I gained so much weight during the preganancy is because I hate to cook in general and when I was pregnant I was just too sick to cook so we ate a lot of pre-packaged foods or take-out.  Cooking is just not fun for me, it never has been.  But I know how important it is to weight loss so I am committed to doing it.  I just don’t like to have to “think” about it too much.

I don’t like trying new recipes.  I don’t like experimenting with new ingredients.  I like to cook the same dishes over and over again and enjoy new foods when other people cook them (I do LOVE new foods, I just don’t like trying to cook them myself.)

The article in the local paper recommended trying all sorts of new grains – buckwheath, amarinth, quinoa and wild rice.  I am going to begrudgingly have to do that I guess.  More time in the grocery store and in the kitchen that I dread but I don’t want the baby to get a lot of arsenic through my breast milk.  I’m just not happy about it.  From these articles it sounds like unsafe arsenic levels in foods have been a known issue for some time.  It makes me very nervous when I think about what little knowlege and minimal control I have over my own food supply.  I have to buy organic and locally grown as much as possible and hope for the best….

Have you heard or read anything about the dangers of eating brown rice?  If you have let me know what you think about it and what you are planning to do about it!

Sunday Inspirations: March 24, 2012

This week my inspiration to keep on The Program has mostly been based on momentum.  Making healthy choices and resisting temptation really feels easier this week.  It feels like when you are in the groove of your Program, no matter what that Program is, ease follows.

Perhaps it is that I’ve formed healthier habits.  Perhaps it is because I am not letting myself get into situations that would lead to straying from my program.  I haven’t allowed myself to get too overtired, too thirsty or too hungry and I’ve packed lunches when I am going to be away from home.  If the prep work is done (groceries have been purchased, my menu is planned, and I have daily reminders to drink enough water and get enough sleep) then making the right decisions and taking the right actions is much easier.  And, good decisions and actions, are what My Program is all about!

I hope this momentum continues; I definitely feel inspired!

What do you do when you (successfully) resist temptation?  Any tricks you can pass on to me?

What inspires you to live a healthy lifestyle?  What inspires you on your weight loss journey?